Fans protest male cheerleaders

Two men have joined the cheerleading squad for the Minnesota Vikings NFL team, which will kick off its season on September 9 in Chicago against the Bears.

The presence of Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn in the choreography team's lineup sparked a wave of hostile reactions from some fans. Some even threatened to return their season tickets and stop following the franchise based at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. "Imagine buying front-row tickets to a football game and when you sit down, there's a man spinning right in front of you," Owen Shroyer posted on X, for example.

Shiek addressed the controversy by mocking everyone who spoke negatively about him: “Wait… did someone say our name?” he wrote in an Instagram post alongside a photo of himself and Conn in their cheerleading uniforms. The duo performed publicly for the first time on August 16 at a preseason game against the New England Patriots.

Prior to joining the Vikings, Conn was a member of the Iowa State Cyclones dance team.

The NFL franchise defended its new members in a statement. The Vikings noted that men have been part of the team in the past and that the sport has a long tradition of male dancers, both in college and professional settings. "By 2025, approximately one-third of NFL teams have male cheerleaders," the club said. It emphasized that all candidates followed the same selection process, based on their experience, talent, and motivation.

The Vikings also indicate that they have not recorded any cancellations of subscriptions despite threats of boycott.